MM#100 - E-pistle #2007/04: The 'Cask Fondling' Phenomenon (by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland)
We have noticed something peculiar recently: two or more (usually very small) batches from the very same cask,
released by different bottlers and/or in different years - and sometimes at different alcohol percentages. Weird...
Until now, I assumed that the smallest 'unit' of whisky that could be turned into a 'bottling' was one whole cask.
 
MM#100 - E-pistle #2007/05: A Dozen Delightful '2006' Drams (by Serge Valentin, France)
From now on, several malt maniacs will be publishing collections of tasting notes around a certain 'theme'. Serge
kicks things off with a selection of a dozen drams that were bottled in 2006 - and that all scored well into the 90's.
Of course, these whiskies were not selected for their affordability.
 
MM#100 - E-pistle #2007/07: Whisky Live South Africa; Cape Town (by Joe Barry, South Africa)
Hurray! It has taken us a hundred issues, but we finally have an E-pistle from Africa. (Davin's earlier traveling
report that included a visit to Africa doesn't count because... erm... he's not African)
 
MM#100 - E-pistle #2007/09: My '2006' Scotland Trip (by Luca Chichizola, Italy)
One of Luca's hobbies is photography, and thanks to the miracles of the internet the rest of the world can now
enjoy some of the stunning pictures Luca took on his latest trip to Scotland - and Luca's tales of his adventures.

MM#101 - E-pistle 2007/10: An Introduction to Japanese Whisky (by Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
During the first decade of our maniacal existence, Japanese single malts were hard to find in Europe and the US, but after a Japanese whisky
(the Yamazaki 1984/2005 (56%, OB, Suntory, Japan, 70cl) emerged victoriously from the MM Awards 2006 Robert decided to investigate further.
 
MM#102 - E-pistle 2007/20 - Serge's Simple Tasting Tips (by Serge Valentin, France)
There are several sorts of tasting sessions, depending on your goals: selecting whisky to vat or blend it, selecting whisky before you buy some, either
as an individual or as a retailer, judging a whisky for a competition, or simply getting to know a new expression the best you can. Serge knows more...
 
MM#102 - E-pistle 2007/24 - Lomond Stills & The Oil Enigma (by Lex Kraaijeveld, England)
Several whisky books state that Lomond stills produce a much oilier whisky than traditional stills. If you consider what the underlying idea was for
designing Lomond stills, it is a bit strange: Lomond stills were designed to allow the distillation of a wider variety of whiskies in the same still, not to
produce an oilier spirit. Lex Kraaijeveld investigates this phenomenon in his usual thorough and scientific fashion.
 
MM#103 - E-pistle 2007/30 - Whisky Glasses; a Study (by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
There are many whisky glasses on the market currently, some of which you have to buy and some of which are given as presents by distilleries or
even included in the price of a bottle of single malt whisky. But which whisky glass is 'the best' for you? Lawrence investigates the question. 
 
MM#104 - E-pistle 2007/44 - The Fossil Record in Antarctica (by Lex Kraaijeveld, England)
A recent discovery by polar historian David Harrowfield adds a fascinating little twist to whisky history. A 'whisky magazine' titled Dawson's Annual
1910 Review of Reviews was discovered on Antarctica. So how did this piece of whisky advertising end up on the South Pole?
 
MM#104 - E-pistle 2007/49 - Ask an Anorak: Bottle Oxidation (by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
So, does whisky mature after it is bottled? The whisky industry says 'no', but our experience is different. Oxidation inside the bottle has been
discussed here and there, but I don't think we ever had a proper group discussion. So, let's take this opportunity to get to the bottom of things... 
 
MM#105 - E-pistle 2007/50 - Paxarete, the unloved saviour of sherry casks? (by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
Everybody who has tasted antique sherried whisky has noticed the huge differences between the sherry profiles of the days that are passed
compared to today's sherry profile. Where are those differences coming from? Why is the present day sherry profile so different?
Is there a chance we could return to that much loved sherry profile from 30 or 40 years ago?
 
MM#105 - E-pistle 2007/51 - Whyte & Mallya (by Krishna Nukala, India)
In 2007 (exactly 150 years after 'The First War of Indian Independence' started in May 1857), Vijay Mallya and his "East India Company" took
total control of 163 year old British (well, Scottish) firm Whyte & Mackay. Our Indian malt maniac Krishna reports from India.
 
MM#106 - E-pistle 2007/67 - The Influence of Wood on Whisky (by Paul DeJong, Belgium)
Some experts say the influence of wood on (and the interaction of wood with) whisky makes up for more than 70% of the aroma's in the final
product! So, if wood is so important, the question arises: What is wood made of?
 
MM#107 - E-pistle 2007/71 - Whisky & White Gloves (by Dave Broom, England)
The white gloves tipped Dave Broom over the edge. The asking price (£2,000 a bottle) is ludicrous of course, but it's the addition of the white
gloves which makes the release of Ardbeg 1965 the most absurdly pretentious idea yet from the half-baked minds of luxury whisky marketeers.
 
MM#108 - E-pistle 2008/09 - My Most Memorable Visit to Scotland (by Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
Before Konstantin became a member of the malt maniacs (and our official 'bar crier' in charge of the events calendar), he made a few pilgrimages
to Scotland. Other countries like Japan, India and Taiwan may be catching up quickly, but Scotland is still #1 in whisky tourism and distillery visits.
 
MM#109 - E-pistle 2008/10 - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
There has been much discussion on some American whisky websites about how to spell whisk(e)y. Davin thought whisky anoraks concerned
themselves with whisky itself, while language anoraks argued over spellings. Not so, apparently. Davin suggests it is a matter of style, not law.
 
MM#109 - E-pistle 2008/13 - Responsible Drinking (by Dominic Roskrow, UK)
Foreign correspondent Dominic Roskrow wonders if there is anyone else out there who has noticed a shift in British media attitudes to alcohol?
Or if anyone else has started to feel uneasy at what appears to be a concerted campaign to attack drinking habits in the United Kingdom?
And senses a move from a position of 'moderate' or 'sensible' alcohol consumption towards the start of a zero tolerance campaign?
 
MM#109 - E-pistle 2008/15 - What's In A Word? (by Craig Daniels, Australia)
Some lateral-thinking mavericks in Diageo stirred the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) into action a few years ago. The "Cardhu Pure Malt"
controversy brought the category into sharp focus recently. But just why did the corporate machinations of Diageo around pure malt whisky kick
up such a stink and get the malt connoisseur community (unkindly put down as anoraks) seriously agitated?
 
MM#110 - E-pistle 2008/20 - What's 'Modern' Whisky? (by Serge Valentin, France)
Those of you that have been drinking single malts for more than a few years may have noticed a gradual change in the profiles of many whiskies.
That's because "they don't make 'em like they used to". Our French maniac Serge became the maniac with the highest 'malt mileage' a while ago,
and he is also one of the maniacs who have sampled the most 'antique' whiskies. That makes him the perfect person to comment on this.
 
MM#110 - E-pistle 2008/27 - Springbank Whisky School 2008 (by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
Little did Lawrence know that he was one of the last 'students' at the Springbank whisky school before the distillery would close down for a few years.
So, this a rare 'fly on the wall' report on the way they ran things at this Campbeltown distillery before the temporary closure.
 
MM#111 - E-pistle 2009/01 - SWA; the Scotch Wankers Association * (by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
Most of the Scottish people I've met on-line or in real life were friendly, generous people. Nevertheless, not all of them are - at least not if you
look at the way the Scotsmen that are working in the SWA (= the Scotch Whisky Association) operate. Lying and cheating comes easy for them.
(* Please note that the purely personal opinions expressed by Johannes are his own, and his own only. Please feel free to disagree if you want to! (**)
(** If you want be a wanker too, that is! ;-)
 
MM#111 - E-pistle 2009/02 - Do You Believe in Bottle Maturation? (by Serge Valentin, France)
Serge likes to think of the Dutch as pacifistic people who prefer to run half-naked in tulip fields while smoking pot and drinking hard genever (or
whisky, for that matter) rather than as rude and aggressive warmongers! So, he was understandably a bit shocked by Johannes' latest E-pistle.
Rather than throw some more oil on the fire, he added his own perspectives to the discussion - and then smoothly segued into OBE.
 
MM#111 - E-pistle 2009/03 - The Chemistry of Water & Whisky (by Nabil Mailloux, Canada)
According to Nabil, there is nothing in the world that will bring you closer to a fist-fight with a fellow connoisseur of whisky than to start talking about
whether to add water or not to your dram. Nabil finally decided to ask science instead - presumably to prevent further damage to his face and fists...
And all that close contact with science brought out the teacher in Nabil, so he added plenty of colourful pictures to make his points.
 
MM#112 - E-pistle 2009/08 - For Sake's Sake (by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
I think it is safe to say that most malt maniacs have delved a little deeper into the whisky world than the average whisky consumer. For many of us,
fine-tuning our noses and palates on whisky has us also given a greater appreciation and understanding of other spirits and alcoholic beverages.
In this article, Michel van Meersbergen presents the results of his sake study - about the Japanese rice drink.
 
MM#112 - E-pistle 2009/12 - Ardbeggeddon Ten (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
There's Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group, Zumanity, and David Copperfield, but for one weekend in January, the most exclusive ticket in Las Vegas
is to a private whisky weekend called Ardbeggeddon - the PLOWED Society's annual gathering of the clan. The 10th Ardbeggeddon edition was held
in January 2009, and one of the highlights was a head to head tasting of 13 different batches of Ardbeg 10yo.
 
MM#112 - E-pistle 2009/14 - A Sulphury Discussion (by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
Some of our discussions take place on Twitter and Facebook these days, but there still is massive e-mail traffic as well. And sometimes, maniacal
discussions are ignited by accident - like this discussion about sulphured whisky and the relation with the 'wrong' sherry casks used in maturation.
 
MM#113 - E-pistle 2009/15 - What Is Sherried Whisky? (by Dave Broom, Scotland)
Dave Broom did a couple of "What Is Sherried Whisky?" classes recently. For each he used two sherries from Lustau {Palo Cortado Vides and
Oloroso Pata La Gallina) and then four whiskies from the SMWS. The whiskies differed each time but in simple terms all were from ex-sherry casks
but the first was from a knackered butt, the second from tired refill, the third was sulphury and the fourth was first fill with no sulphur.) The aim?
To tease out what the sherry industry wants from oak, what the Scotch industry wants from oak, whether the two are talking about the same thing
and, if not, what "sherry cask" actually means.
 
MM#114 - E-pistle 2009/27 - Summer Means Tequila! (by Noel Buckley, USA)
It's summer and that means Tequila! - at least according to 'foreign correspondent' Noel Buckley. Tequila is a spirit grown, distilled and (when
high quality) bottled in Mexico.  While agave spirits come from many locations, Tequila itself comes from GI (Geographical Indication) regions
and is restricted to being made in specific areas in Mexico from only one specific type of agave plant. Noel's excellent article digs deep...
 
MM#115 - E-pistle 2009/30 - Tripping Down Memory Lane (by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
Malt whisky is a liquid time machine; when you're enjoying a dram you're nosing and tasting a product that was produced several years (or even
decades) earlier. That's one of the things that makes single malts so interesting; the gap between 'crafting' the product and its consumption.
 
MM#115 - E-pistle 2009/31 - Commotion At The Collecting House (by Serge Valentin, France)
'Whisky is for drinking, not for collecting!', Scotch distillers and bottlers claim, although this never prevents them from explaining how collectable
their newest 20yo or 30yo whisky is, lavishly packaged or not. Lack of coherence? Double speak? Plain dishonesty? Probably a bit of everything.
 
MM#115 - E-pistle 2009/33 - Stunning Wines, Stupendous Whiskies (by Krishna Nukala, India)
Another year, another edition of the Malt Maniacs Awards. And for our Indian malt maniac Krishna, it also meant another trip around the world
to personally fetch the Malt Maniacs Awards samples - just to avoid the horrors of the Indian customs that try to foil our competition each year.
 
MM#115 - E-pistle 2009/37 - The Colouring & Filtering Experiment (by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
So far, very few whisky consumers have been able to tell the exact effects of chill filtration and/or colouring on a whisky, simply because there
is usually just one version of a whisky in the stores; either chill filtered or unchillfiltered, and either coloured or uncoloured. However, Bert Bruyneel
managed to find the very same batch of whisky, bottled in 4 different ways: chill filtered and coloured, un-chillfiltered and uncoloured, chillfiltered
and uncoloured, and finally un-chillfiltered and coloured. He drove to Haarlem, Holland to conduct a tasting experiment with other maniacs.
 
E-pistle 2010-06 - Whisky Taxes in the EU (by Keith Wood, Germany)
Even in this modern day and age, many on-line whisky shops and distilleries don't deliver their whisky abroad. This awoke the Sherlock Holmes
within Keith. He discovered that the laws concerning Excise Duty and taxes in the European Union are not as 'unified' as one would hope.
 
E-pistle 2010-07 - Fresh from Kavalan Distillery, Taiwan (by Charles MacLean, Scotland)
There was global press interest in January 2010 under the general headline "Taiwanese Whisky Beats Scotch in Blind Tasting", inspired by
an article which appeared in The Times. Charles MacLean happened to chair the whisky tasting panel in question. That makes him the perfect
person to tell us a little more about the blind tasting in question - and the Kavalan distillery in Taiwan.
 
E-pistle 2011-02 - The Trouble with Tradition (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
The trouble with tradition is knowing where to start. At one time, tradition meant that Scotch malt whisky was diluted to 37% abv, bottled, and sent
out into the marketplace. A few of these old 37% bottles still surface, but most of the current whisky crowd is quite unaware that these were once
common. Historians tell us that at one time whisky was consumed shortly after it was distilled. It was probably pretty awful stuff to drink, but adding
flavourings and colour made it more palatable. In fact, depending on what had been added it could be sold as brandy, cognac, gin, or even whisky.
So, 'traditional' isn't always what we think it is...
 
E-pistle 2011-09 - Malt Maniacs Awards 2011 - Taxing Times (by Keith Wood, Germany)
Previous editions of the Malt Maniacs Awards have relied heavily upon the logistical efforts of French maniacs Serge and Olivier, but in 2011 the
task of 'Postmaster General' for the MM Awards went to Keith Wood in Germany. His detailed article illustrates the magnitude of the task at hand.
Even with a relatively 'modest' number of 171 bottles in the 2011 Awards it was a massive task.
 
E-pistle 2011-12 - The Smokeheads (by Nabil Maillous, Canada)
For some time now, the scientific community has been debating the effects of tobacco on the human palate. As early as the 1930s and 40s,
scientists had been conducting experiments on humans using specific taste markers. Sure enough, they found that 73% of people showed a
decreased sensitivity, while surprisingly, 16% showed an increased sensitivity. Clearly, it is possible that in certain individuals, and it is hard to
know in whom, tobacco smoke can significantly affect the palate's sensitivity.

Malt Maniacs Issue #100  -  January 15, 2007

E-pistle #2007/01 - Concerns of a German Whisky Lover (submitted in December 2006 by Pit Krause, Germany)
E-pistle #2007/02 - An Indian's perspective on Scotch Whisky (submitted in December 2006 by Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2007/03 - A Whisky Lover in a 'Dry' Town (submitted on January 7, 2007 by Mark Gillespie, USA)
E-pistle #2007/04 - The 'Cask Fondling' Phenomenon (submitted on January 9, 2007 by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/05 - A Dozen Delightful '2006' Drams (submitted on January 12 by Serge Valentin, France)
E-pistle #2007/06 - The Italian Whisky Mafia (submitted on January 13, 2007 by Joep van Drunen, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/07 - Whisky Live South Africa 2006 Report (Cape Town) (submitted by Joe Barry, South-Africa)
E-pistle #2007/08 - Whisky Live South Africa 2006 Report (Johannesburg) (submitted by Larry Aaronson, South-Africa)
E-pistle #2007/09 - My '2006' Scotland Trip (submitted on January 14 by Luca Chichizola, Italy)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #101  -  February 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/10 - An Introduction to Japanese Whisky (submitted by Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/11 - Big (Malts) in Japan  (submitted  by Luca Chichizola, Italy)
E-pistle #2007/12 - A Different View on Finishing   (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2007/13 - Old Ledaigs; Some Favourite Dark Horses  (submitted by Pit Krause, Germany)
E-pistle #2007/14 - Whisky Development during 2 World Wars  (submitted by Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
E-pistle #2007/15 - Half A Dozen Disposable Drams   (submitted by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/16 - Typical Indian Tastes in Scotch Whisky   (submitted by by Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2007/17 - The Night They Lost Their Virginity  (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2007/18 - A Dozen & One Diabolical Drams  (submitted by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/19 - Ask an Anorak: Cask Fondling  (submitted by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #102  -  March 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/20 - Serge's Simple Tasting Tips  (submitted by Serge Valentin, France)
E-pistle #2007/21 - Bourbon Country's Dynamite Dozen (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/22 - Whisky in Wisconsin in 2007 (submitted by Doug Fulkerstone, USA)
E-pistle #2007/23 - Whiskyfest New York 2006 (submitted by Louis Perlman, USA)
E-pistle #2007/24 - Lomond Stills & The Oil Enigma (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2007/25 - Half A Dozen Dissonant Drams (submitted by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/26 - Collecting in Belgium (submitted by Dominiek Bouckaert, Belgium)
E-pistle #2007/27 - Half A Dozen Annually Released Port Ellens (submitted by Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/28 - Malts in Monk's Cafe (submitted by Mark Gillespie, USA)
E-pistle #2007/29 - Do The Scots Deserve Their Reputation? (submitted by Joe Barry, South Africa)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #103  -  May 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/30 - Whisky Glasses; a Study  (submitted by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/31 - Does your glass affect your dram?   (submitted by Craig Daniels, Australia)
E-pistle #2007/32 - Oliver's Travels - Three Chimneys Restaurant  (submitted by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2007/33 - A Dozen Disposable Drams  (submitted by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/34 - Book Review: How to Blend Scotch Whisky  (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/35 - Spring Stunner Alerts  (submitted by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle #2007/36 - An Interview with Andy Watts  (submitted by Joe Barry, South Africa)
E-pistle #2007/37 - A Dozen Drifting Drams  (submitted by Luca Chichizola, Italy)
E-pistle #2007/38 - Prohibition & the Scotch Whisky Industry  (submitted by Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
E-pistle #2007/39 - Independent Port Ellens  (submitted by Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #104  -  June 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/40 - The Benefits of Adding Water Your Dram  (by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/41 - Diluting Water Tasting  (by Ho-cheng Yao, Taiwan)
E-pistle #2007/42 - Olivier's Travels: Summer Isle Restaurant  (by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2007/43 - Book Review: The Social History of Bourbon  (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/44 - The Fossil Record in Antarctica  (by Lex Kraaijeveld, England)
E-pistle #2007/45 - Mega - Macallan Tasting in Australia  (by Craig Daniels, Australia)
E-pistle #2007/46 - Glengoyne Ultimate Challenge  (by Luc Timmermans, Belgium)
E-pistle #2007/47 - Limburg Whisky Fair 2007  (by Patrick Brossard, Switzerland)
E-pistle #2007/48 - A Dozen Dependable Drams  (by Louis Perlman, USA)
E-pistle #2007/49 - Ask an Anorak: Bottle Oxidation  (by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #105  -  August 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/050 - Paxarete, the unloved saviour of sherry casks?  (by Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/051 - Whyte & Mallya  (by Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2007/052 - Olivier's Travels; Les Trois Rois, Basel  (by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2007/053 - Book Review: Wort, Worms & Washbacks  (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada) 
E-pistle #2007/054 - Victoria Whisky Festival Report  (by Wendy Harker, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/055 - A Dozen Diverse Drams  (by Johannes v/d Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/056 - The Why & How of Rating Whisky  (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/057 - A Whisky Weekend To Remember  (by Magnus Fagerström, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/058 - Classifications of Whisky  (by Ulf Buxrud, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/059 - A Dozen Canadian Drams  (by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #106  -  October 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/060 - What we see in Whisky  (by Hasse Nilsson & Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/061 - Classic Malts Cruise 2007  (by Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2007/062 - Olivier's Travels; The Seaforth, Ullapool  (by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2007/063 - Book Review: MJ's Malt Whisky Companion  (by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/064 - Old Friends & Older Friends  (by Louis Perlman, USA)
E-pistle #2007/065 - Benriach - Sleeping Giant to Shooting Star  (by Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
E-pistle #2007/066 - Triple Blind Tasting  (by Peter Silver, USA)
E-pistle #2007/067 - The Influence of Wood on Whisky  (by Paul Dejong, Belgium)
E-pistle #2007/068 - A Dozen Dewar Rattray Drams  (by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/069 - The Road to Bremerhaven  (by Michel van Meersbergen & Thomas Lipka)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #107  -  December 1, 2007

E-pistle #2007/70 - Analogies between Wine & Whisky  (submitted by Pit Krause, Germany)
E-pistle #2007/71 - Whisky & White Gloves   (submitted by Dave Broom, UK)
E-pistle #2007/72 - Olivier's Travels; L'Ami Louis, Paris (submitted by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2007/73 - Book Review: Charles MacLean's Whisky Tales (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2007/74 - Recently Released 'Stunners'   (submitted by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle #2007/75 - Whisky Live Paris 2007 Report  (submitted by Patrick Brossard, Switzerland)
E-pistle #2007/76 - A Dozen Deutsch Drams  (submitted by Robert Karlsson, Sweden)
E-pistle #2007/77 - Xenomaltology; St George (California, USA)   (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2007/78 - Extra Book Review; The Business of Spirits  (submitted by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2007/79 - A Speyside Sojourn  (submitted by Joe Barry, South Africa)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #108  -  February 29, 2008

E-pistle #2008/01 - The Best Whiskies of 2007  (submitted by Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2008/02 - Olivier's Travels; Inverness  (submitted by Olivier Humbrecht, France)
E-pistle #2008/03 - Book Review: Broom's Handbook of Whisky  (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada) 
E-pistle #2008/04 - Xenomaltology; Charbay, California, USA  (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2008/05 - Ardbeg Double Barrel - Tasting Report  (submitted by Mark Gillespie, USA) 
E-pistle #2008/06 - A Minion's Muse  (submitted by Dave Wankel, USA)
E-pistle #2008/07 - Ports of Call  (submitted by Louis Perlman, USA)
E-pistle #2008/08 - An interview with Moritz Kallmeyer  (submitted by Joe Barry, South Africa)
E-pistle #2008/09 - My Most Memorable Visit to Scotland  (submitted by Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #109  -  April 15, 2008

E-pistle #2008/10 - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off  (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2008/11 - The Lastest (& Blackest?) Bowmore  (submitted by Mark Gillespie, USA)
E-pistle #2008/12 - Book Review; Whisky With Dinner  (submitted by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle #2008/13 - Responsible Drinking  (submitted by Dominic Roskrow, UK)
E-pistle #2008/14 - A Dozen Recent Duncan Taylor Bottlings  (submitted by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle #2008/15 - What's in a Word?  (submitted by Craig Daniels, Australia)
E-pistle #2008/16 - (Sort of a) Book Review; The Malt Whisky File  (submitted by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2008/17 - CioccolaTò Report 2008  (submitted by Luca Chichizola, Italy)
E-pistle #2008/18 - Mega Macallan Tasting (Part II)  (submitted by Craig Daniels, Australia)
E-pistle #2008/19 - Glenfarclas Family Casks: The Saga goes on  (submitted by Luc Timmermans, Belgium)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #110  -  October 15, 2008

E-pistle #2008/20 - What's 'Modern' Whisky?  (submitted by Serge Valentin, France)
E-pistle #2008/21 - Thomas Dewar, A Biography  (submitted by Robert Karlsson & Hasse Nilsson, Sweden)
E-pistle #2008/22 - Interview with Duncan Taylor's Euan Shand  (submitted by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle #2008/23 - One Man's Mascara is Another Man's Malt  (submitted by Nabil Mailloux, Canada)
E-pistle #2008/24 - How To Speak Whisky   (submitted by Peter Silver, USA)
E-pistle #2008/25 - Cutty Sark: a Scantily-clad Witch  (submitted by Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2008/26 - Bert's Summer Stunners Report  (submitted by Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle #2008/27 - Springbank Whisky School  (submitted by Lawrence Graham, Canada)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #111  -  February 8, 2009

E-pistle #2009-01; SWA; the Scotch Wankers Association (Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle #2009-02; Do You Believe in Bottle Maturation? (Serge Valentin, France)
E-pistle #2009-03; The Chemistry of Water & Whisky (Nabil Mailloux, Canada)
E-pistle #2009-04; My Best Whiskies of 2008 (Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle #2009-05; Fruit Flies or Peat Flies? (Lex Kraaijeveld, UK)
E-pistle #2009-06; A Dozen Chaotic Drams (Luca Chichizola, Italy)
E-pistle #2009-07; Politics, Religion & Whiskey in America (David Wankel, USA)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #112  -  April 13, 2009

E-pistle #2009-08; For Sake's Sake (Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
E-pistle #2009-09; Today's Whisky Climate (Dave Broom, United Kingdom)
E-pistle #2009-10; Spreading The Word (David Wankel, USA)
E-pistle #2009-11; A Gourmet's Delight (Craig Daniels, Australia)
E-pistle #2009-12; Ardbeggeddon Ten (Davin & Euan McPhee, Canada)
E-pistle #2009-13; Adventures in Taste Perversion (Mark Gillespie, USA)
E-pistle #2009-14; A Sulphury Discussion (transcript by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #113  -  June 15, 2009

E-pistle 2009-15; What Is Sherried Whisky? (Dave Broom, United Kingdom)
E-pistle 2009-16; A Sherried Discussion - Part 1 (Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle 2009-17; Macallan Masters of Photography (Michel van Meersbergen, Holland)
E-pistle 2009-18; Stuart Nickerson Interview (Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland)
E-pistle 2009-19; Astar Trek (Nabil Mailloux, Canada)
E-pistle 2009-20; Victoria Festival (Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle 2009-21; Vienna Whisky Fair (Konstantin Grigoriadis, Greece)
E-pistle 2009-22; Summer Speysides & Friends (Louis Perlman, USA)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #114  -  October 21, 2009

E-pistle 2009-23; A Few Truths & Observations about Scotch whisky (Lawrence Graham, Canada)
E-pistle 2009-24; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Wine Tasting (Peter Silver, USA)
E-pistle 2009-25; Matching Dogs & Whisky (Lex Kraaijeveld, England)
E-pistle 2009-26; Pairing Whisk(e)y with a Great Meal (Dave Wankel & Adam Herz, USA)
E-pistle 2009-27; Summer Means Tequila! (Noel Buckley, USA)
E-pistle 2009-28; Where Does A Specific Taste Come From? (Benny Ingman, Sweden)
E-pistle 2009-29; Why Whisky is better than a Woman (Paul DeJong, Belgium)
 

Malt Maniacs Issue #115  -  December 31, 2009

E-pistle 2009-30; Tripping Down Memory Lane (Johannes van den Heuvel)
E-pistle 2009-31; Commotion At The Collecting House (Serge Valentin, France)
E-pistle 2009-32; From Whisky Scorer to Juror: Part 1 (Nabil Mailloux, Canada)
E-pistle 2009-33; Stunning Wines, Stupendous Whiskies (Krishna Nukala, India)
E-pistle 2009-34; Book Review - Whisky & Philosophy (Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada)
E-pistle 2009-35; Black, White & Gold Bowmores (Mark Gillespie, USA)
E-pistle 2009-36; South Africa's First Single Grain (Joe Barry, South Africa)
E-pistle 2009-37; The Colouring & Filtering Experiment (Bert Bruyneel, Belgium)
E-pistle 2009-38; Confessions of a Swiss Malt Maniac (Patrick de Schulthess, Switzerland)
 

================
 

These issues were published between 2007 and 2009. In 2010 and 2011 we have published our E-pistles as separate PDF files.
Older articles about whisky (single malt, Scotch & other types) from the Malt Maniacs E-zine can be found in Part 1 of the archives.
 

... and those were just some of the 'highlights'. Below you can find links to all articles we published between 2007 and 2009.

 

PLEASE REMEMBER
THAT THIS IS AN
ARCHIVE FROM
1997 TO 2011.
 
FROM NOW ON,
FRESH MATERIAL
CAN BE FOUND ON
THE NEW SITE.